A'ja Riyadh Wilson ( AY-zhə; born August 8, 1996)[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Quick Facts No. 22 – Las Vegas Aces, Position ...
A'ja Wilson![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/A%27ja_Wilson_%2853756794398%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-A%27ja_Wilson_%2853756794398%29_%28cropped%29.jpg) |
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Position | Center |
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League | Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) |
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Born | (1996-08-08) August 8, 1996 (age 27) Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
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Nationality | American |
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Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
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Listed weight | 197 lb (89 kg) |
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High school | Heathwood Hall Episcopal (Columbia, South Carolina) |
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College | South Carolina (2014–2018) |
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WNBA draft | 2018: 1st round, 1st overall pick |
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Selected by the Las Vegas Aces |
Playing career | 2018–present |
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Position | Center |
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Number | 22 |
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2018–present | Las Vegas Aces |
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2018–2019 | Shaanxi Red Wolves |
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- 2× WNBA champion (2022, 2023)
- WNBA Finals MVP (2023)
- 2× WNBA MVP (2020, 2022)
- 2× WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2022, 2023)
- 2× Best WNBA Player ESPY Award (2023, 2024)
- Best Female Athlete ESPY Award (2024)
- 6× WNBA All-Star (2018, 2019, 2021–2024)
- WNBA Rookie of the Year (2018)
- WNBA All-Rookie Team (2018)
- 3× All-WNBA First Team (2020, 2022, 2023)
- All-WNBA Second Team (2021)
- 2× WNBA All-Defensive First Team (2022, 2023)
- WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2020)
- 3× WNBA blocks leader (2020, 2022, 2023)
- Commissioner's Cup champion (2022)
- 2× USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year (2015, 2022)
- FIBA Women's World Cup MVP (2022)
- NCAA champion (2017)
- NCAA Tournament MOP (2017)
- AP Player of the Year (2018)
- Honda Sports Award (2018)
- Naismith College Player of the Year (2018)
- John R. Wooden Award (2018)
- Wade Trophy (2018)
- USBWA National Player of the Year (2018)
- Lisa Leslie Award (2018)
- 3x All-American – USBWA, WBCA Coaches' (2016–2018)
- 3x First-team All-American – AP (2016–2018)
- Third-team All-American - AP (2015)
- 3× SEC Player of the Year (2016–2018)
- 2× SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2016, 2018)
- 2x SEC Tournament MVP (2017, 2018)
- 4× First-team All-SEC (2015–2018)
- 3x SEC All-Defensive Team (2016–2018)
- SEC Freshman of the Year (2015)
- SEC All-Freshman Team (2015)
- McDonald's All-American (2014)
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Stats at WNBA.com |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com |
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Wilson played for the South Carolina Gamecocks in college, and helped lead the Gamecocks to their first NCAA Women's Basketball Championship in 2017, and won the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player award. In 2018, she won a record third straight SEC Player of the Year award, leading South Carolina to a record fourth straight SEC Tournament Championship, becoming the all-time leading scorer in South Carolina women's basketball history, and was a consensus first-team All-American for the third consecutive season. Wilson swept all National Player of the Year awards (Wade, AP, Honda, USBWA, Wooden, and Naismith) as the best player in Women's College basketball for 2018. In the 2018 WNBA draft, she was drafted first overall by the Aces.
Wilson won her first WNBA MVP in 2020, as well as her first Olympic Gold medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics. In 2022, Wilson helped lead the Aces to their first title in franchise history, a feat she repeated in 2023 while earning Finals MVP. On July 7, 2024, in a matchup against the Dallas Wings, she became the Aces' all time leading scorer in franchise history.[2] She is also a New York Times best-selling author.